Sydney Development Corporation Canadian software company
Sydney Development Corporation (SDC ) was the first publicly traded software company in Canada. Founded by Tarrnie Williams , SDC developed an online real-time project management system for the IBM System/370 [ citation needed ] mainframe computer , then various different business applications for microcomputers such as the Apple II , and eventually became the first developer and publisher of computer games for microcomputers in Canada.[ 1] [ 2]
In 1981, SDC agreed to publish Evolution by Don Mattrick and Jeff Sembers, after Williams's 10-year-old son enjoyed a demo of the game.[ 3] Evolution sold over 400,000 copies, and Mattrick and Sembers went on to found Distinctive Software .[ 4]
Sydney Development Corp. was the fastest-growing public company in Canada in the five-year period 1978 to 1983 with fiscal year 1983 revenues of Can$ 21 million (equivalent to $59 million in 2025 [ 5] ).[ citation needed ]
The company filed for bankruptcy on 23 May 1989.[ 6]
References
↑ "Case: Sydney Development Corp. [ C] " . MobyGames . Blue Flame Labs. February 14, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2015 .
↑ "Case: Vancouver's video game family tree [ C] " . The Straight . The Georgia Strait. January 28, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2015 .
↑ "A Distinctive Lineage" . Escapist . Retrieved July 10, 2015 .
↑ Wolf, Mark J. P. (2015). Video Games Around The World . MIT Press . ISBN 978-0-262-52716-3 .
↑ 1688 to 1923 : Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted" . Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021 . , table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit" . Statistics Canada . Retrieved 2024-05-08 . and table 18-10-0005-01 "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted" . Statistics Canada . Retrieved February 14, 2026 .
↑ The Financial Post Survey of Predecessor and Defunct Companies . Vol. 10. Financial Post. 1993. p. 203. Retrieved 2 July 2017 .